Automated parking systems have increased in demand over the last 20 years as the number of automobiles continuously increase worldwide and land availability for parking spaces continuously decrease. This increased demand may be particularly felt in large cities, especially in urban centers, where land is frequently allocated for high-rise office and residential buildings which are occupied by large concentrations of people, many with vehicles, and limited space is allocated for parking purposes.
In an attempt to solve the limited parking space problem, multi-story parking structures able to accommodate a relatively large number of vehicles in each floor are frequently constructed. These multi-story parking structures are generally configured to allow vehicles to be driven through each floor by their drivers in search of a parking space. These “drive-through” parking structures frequently include facilities and equipment to support movement of people within the parking structure. For example, they may include relatively high-power illumination systems to allow drivers to see where they are going, or ventilation systems to remove vehicle exhaust gases and maintain suitable fresh air flow inside the structure. They may also include elevators for transporting the drivers between floors, stairs interconnecting the various floors, among other facilities and equipment.
Other types of multi-story parking structures may include automated parking facilities. Automated parking facilities generally eliminate the need for the vehicle to be driven through the structure. These types of facilities generally include parking slots in each floor into which a driverless vehicle is placed by an automated conveying system. The automated conveying system may also be used to remove the vehicle from the parking slot when the vehicle is returned to the driver. In automated parking facilities, drivers typically self-drive their vehicle into a vehicle positioning station where it may be accessed by a transport mechanism which is part of the automated conveyor system. The transport mechanism, which may include a shuttle car, an elevator, a crane, a movable platform, or any other type of equipment suitable for moving and/or lifting the vehicle, may load the vehicle and transport it to its respective parking place. An example of such a vehicle positioning station is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,676 to Colsman.
A potential advantage of automated parking facilities over drive-through parking structures is a substantial reduction in facilities and equipment required to support people as there is very limited people movement inside the facility (only where vehicles are received and returned to drivers). An additional potential advantage is that the overall parking area may be increased as ramps connecting the various floors are not required and a height between floors may be made substantially low, sufficient to accommodate a height of the vehicles. More information on automated parking facilities may be obtained at Applicant's website at www.unitronics.com.